Dressbarn Closing Toms River Store

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Dressbarn announced this week that it is shutting down and closing all 650 of its stores across the country.

That includes the Toms River store in Hooper Commons, which also houses Michaels, DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) and a number of smaller retailers and restaurants.

Dressbarn employs about 6,800 people and has not disclosed when stores will begin shutting down. Parent company ascena retail group, Inc. announced the "wind down" of operations on Monday.

"All Dressbarn stores are open and conducting business as usual, as is Dressbarn's ecommerce site," the company said Monday. "Customers can continue to shop at Dressbarn in-store and online and use Dressbarn-branded credit cards for purchases. There are no current changes to Dressbarn's return, refund, or gift card policies."

CFO Steven Taylor called the Dressbarn decision "difficult but necessary" and said employees will be notified when decisions are made about individual store closures and given "transition support."

Dressbarn also said it will continue paying its vendors and suppliers in full for products and services provided during the wind-down process.

The Dressbarn announcement comes as nearby Ocean County Mall has announced it is making significant changes and welcoming new businesses, including LA Fitness and Homesense. Read more: LA Fitness, Homesense Coming To Ocean County Mall

In addition, a sign in front of Bey Lea Plaza says Burlington (formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory) is coming to that shopping center, where the Toys R Us and Babies R Us have stood empty since they closed in 2018. A request for information from Jeffrey Realty, which owns that shopping center, was not immediately answered.

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